Lina Celebrates Mexico’s Independence Day with a Twist on Traditional Cuisine
As Mexico’s Independence Day approaches, Lina invites diners to experience Mexican cuisine from a different perspective.
Through two dishes by Chef Mariana Villegas, the restaurant explores flavors deeply rooted in Mexico’s culinary identity, reinterpreted through the technique and creativity that define her cooking.
Every September, Mexico comes alive with celebrations leading up to Independence Day on September 16. For Lina, they are also an opportunity to explore the depth and diversity of Mexican cuisine beyond some of the country’s most iconic dishes. At Lina, chef Mariana Villegas’s restaurant, familiar Mexican ingredients take on new expressions, revealing the many regional flavors, traditions, and stories that shape the country’s culinary identity.
One of those expressions is the Wagyu arrachera, a dish inspired by Chef Mariana’s northern Mexican roots. The beef is grilled with salt, pepper, and a touch of morita chile, then served over a broth of charro beans made with sangre de toro, a variety of beans grown in Morelos. Onion, garlic, avocado leaf, and serrano chile build the base of the broth, while bacon, pork trotter, cilantro, and a splash of beer add richness and depth.
The result is a deeply savory, comforting dish that rewards a slower pace, with layers of flavor unfolding with every bite. Northern Mexican flavors meet Lina’s culinary perspective, turning familiar ingredients into something both rooted and unexpected.
The accompanying memela brings together another set of distinctly Mexican flavors. A traditional masa preparation serves as the base for escamoles, fava beans, and epazote crème fraîche. The rustic character of the masa contrasts with the delicate texture of the escamoles, while the fava beans add depth and the herbaceous, aromatic notes of epazote come through in the crème fraîche, bringing the dish together.
There is no single way to celebrate Mexico. It can be found in revisiting an ingredient that has been part of the culinary landscape for generations and experiencing it from a new perspective; in flavors that bring to mind a particular region, tradition, or memory; and in discovering how much more there is to explore within Mexican cuisine.
If chile en nogada or a bowl of pozole is already part of your plans for Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations this year, Lina offers another way to experience the season. Chef Mariana Villegas’s cooking is grounded in Mexican ingredients and traditions, while her technique and creativity give them room to take on new forms.
Reservations are available at lina.mx, via direct message on Instagram at @linacdmx, or by phone at 55 5574 7004.
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